A New Life
by Spacedragon1999
Summary: After walking away from Wellington's offer, Kenny, Clementine and little AJ make a go of it on their own. But when they reach the Alexandria Safe-Zone, their world is turned upside down. Now that the hope Clementine shared with Lee at the St. John's Dairy is realised, can she ever go back to how she was? Can she even sleep without a gun? DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys!**

**Ever wanted to see what'd happen if Clem reached the Alexandria Safe Zone before Rick took over? Well, here it is!**

**Set a couple weeks after Season 2's 'With Kenny' ending, so SPOILERS AHEAD! If you haven't played S2 Ep 5 DO NOT READ!**

**Let's get started.**

**Chapter** **1**

A young girl, about 12, leans against a tree with a baby in her arms. Her ugly blue jacket shed, the purple t-shirt and long-sleeved blue and white striped top underneath it was caked in mud and grime over the past few days. Her grey trousers had blood and dirt soaked through the seams and her blue and white cap with the big 'D' on the front still bore the same bloodstain from her old guardian's bite. The girl's hair, though still short and gathered in a pair of hair-bangles at the back, had grown out a bit. A heavy pistol weighed in her hand, and she rubbed her calloused fingers across it as she rocked the baby.

The baby was rather small, even for an infant, and had a patch of fluffy brown hair, and shining brown eyes a few shades darker than his skin. An adorable pout graced his features as he moaned in his sleep, though trust for his adoptive big sister kept him from struggling in her arms.

The girl's name was Clementine, and the baby was named AJ (Alvin Junior).

Clementine had already seen more in the past 3 years than most people ever have the misfortune to in their entire lives. She's stolen, beaten, killed, and lost more people than she could ever care to count. Yet despite her cold attitude, pragmatic views and antagonistic ways towards strangers, a light bloomed inside, hidden but easy to see. It was this light, this hope, that kept her moving every day.

Little AJ, only a few weeks old, had lost his mother a mere two days after his birth, and both of his fathers were brutally murdered before he was even born. Clementine, however, had made a promise to his mother, Rebecca, that she would protect him with everything she had, and it was a promise she intended to keep.

"Hey, Clem! Come here! Take a look at this!"

Clementine's eyes snapped towards her adult companion, Kenny. The two had been together since the beginning of the apocalypse, had lost and found each other, had gone through pretty much every major event in their insane lives together.

Kenny had been to hell and back, physically and mentally. The lattice of scars digging through his face were the ever present memento of his beating at the hands of AJ's psychopathic possible father, Bill Carver, as was the loss of his left eye. A deep gash over his right cheek still remained two years after his fight with his best friend and Clementine's guardian and father figure, Lee Everett. Yet those were only superficial. The psychological trauma of losing his son to a slowly acting walker bite and his wife shooting her self in the head to escape the pain of losing little Duck almost sent the man over the edge. He immediately regarded strangers as hostile and drank himself into a depression, though eventually he pulled himself out. However, two years later, after his reunion with Clementine, things got even worse. He became extremely overprotective of the girl, going so far as to lose his eye out of the fear of whatever Carver would've done to her. Losing his then-girlfriend Sarita during the escape, though, destroyed Kenny. He snapped at the slightest provocation, angrily yelling at Clementine for 'getting people killed', but when Clementine almost died as a result of the Russian boy Arvo running across the frozen lake he nearly beat the boy to death, and his care for AJ was creepy at first, but mellowed soon enough. His dark green waist-length jacket was drenched in blood and guts, he had replaced the bandage with an eyepatch and his old moustache had grown out into a full beard, which strangely suited him better.

Clementine slipped over to Kenny and looked to where he was pointing. An unbelievable sight met her eyes, even more unbelievable than Wellington had been.

A small town was in the distance, with brick walls, wrought-iron gates and even houses on the inside. A tower was in the corner, and people could be seen walking the streets without a care in the world. Trees were grown in areas and vehicles were parked in a certain building big enough to keep them.

This was a heavenly sight to the two survivors, who had never even seen a well-functioning community since their own group in Macon two years back. Carver's didn't count. Wide grins stretched across both of their faces, hope glinting in their eyes, before Clementine shook herself out of her stupor and focused on the task.

"Wait!" she hissed to Kenny, who raised an eyebrow. "We don't know what these people are like! They could be like Carver or... Crawford..."

Kenny's other eyebrow raised in alarm. Crawford was a group of 'ultra-survivors' in Savannah who weeded out the young, the old, the sick; those least able to defend themselves and either cast them from the community or killed them, adding their reanimated bodies to the ever-growing wall outside. If these people were anything like them, AJ would certainly never leave alive. Kenny's attitude might cause problems and Clementine's age would arise doubt, but the infant would definitely die. Seeing the sleeping boy in Clementine's arms his eye narrowed in determination and suspicion.

"Alright," he asserted, gathering his thoughts for a plan. "I'll take AJ, you keep a hold on your gun. We'll march up to the gate and introduce ourselves. Look dangerous, Clem. Anything goes sideways, you know what to do. But don't take unnecessary risks, alright? I ain't gone and lost this eye just for ya to get killed now."

Ignoring his attempt at humour, Clementine handed over her adoptive brother and grasped the butt of the pistol and her wrist with her left hand tightly. After taking a deep breath the ragtag family hopped over the log and set their faces into stone, making their way through the final remains of the degraded snow military-style right up to approximately 10 metres in front of the imposing gate which now looked less like the Pearly Gates to Heaven and more like the Dark Gates to Prison.

A bitter wind blew across Clementine's face, causing her to sneer in order to prevent showing emotion to any who may have been watching. Her pistol was slightly lowered, just the right angle to raise it if any trouble started. She'd killed before and she'd do it again, if need be. She'd already lost two families. She'd be damned if she lost this one too.

Kenny breathed deeply, tightening his grip on AJ before calling out, "Um, hello? You guys in there?"

All eyes within earshot turned to them. Whispers immediately cut through the air.

_"Who are these guys?!"_

_"What the fuck happened to that guy?!"_

_"Get Douglas!"_

_"Holy shit! That kid's got a gun!"_

_"They've got a goddamn baby! We gotta let them in!"_

_"Are you for real?! We can't trust them!"_

Clementine screwed her face up in concentration as her eyes flickered like a hawk from one person to the next. They were all well-fed and watered, that was for sure, and they all seemed extremely suspicious of them. 'Good', thought Clementine. 'They're not welcoming us with open arms. That's a good sign.'

Then a man appeared at the gate, in his early 60s, with a bald head and a white goatee. He wore an expensive brown suit and held himself in a dignified manner.

"Hello," he greeted cordially. "My name is Douglas Monroe and I'm the leader of this community. Might you be so inclined as to give me your own?"

Kenny gave Clementine a little nod, causing her to lower her gun a little more, then announced, "I'm Kenny. This is Clementine and AJ."

Douglas smiled at the infant. "Why, I must say it's been a while since I've seen a baby. And you, my girl," he turned to Clementine, who tensed. "You look like you really know how to use that."

She narrowed her eyes. "I do," she replied emotionlessly, though it was easy to see the man unnerved her slightly.

"You three look like you've been on the road for a good bit. (AN: I know I took it from Terminus, but I am NOT making Alexandria a bunch of cannibals) I'm guessing you're probably looking for someplace where it's safe. Where you don't need to worry about the roamers anymore. Where you don't need to scavenge every day just to survive, am I right?" Both man and girl nodded curtly. "Thought so. Well, I am happy to say this is that place. Everyone does their bit to keep our community running and in return we're all safe, happy and our bellies are full."

Clementine bit her lip discreetly. It was certainly a tempting offer, that much was certain, but his words were too much like Carver's honeyed speeches. Reminded of the man who looked to her as a twisted protege, she gasped and stumbled back a few steps. People started whispering again and Kenny shot her a worried look. Douglas furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Did I say something wrong, Clementine?"

Swallowing her memory down she breathed and replied, "No. It's just... we met a man with a community before. He talked a lot like you. Turns out he was a murderous psycho. Don't want to take any risks," she finished coolly, and the man next to Douglas smiled appreciatively. He had short brown hair, handsome features, and was clean-shaven. However he couldn't have been with the community for long, considering his build, which was similar to Kenny's; strong and fit, but malnourished and underfed for a period of time. His one hand rubbed his chin in thought.

After a few seconds he leaned over to Douglas and began whispering in his ear.

Kenny gave Clementine a look stating 'Don't say anything. We don't want to piss them off.' She nodded in reply.

Douglas nodded agreeably at the man's suggestion. "I agree, Rick." His attention turned back to the outsiders. "But we're gonna need to lay down the ground rules. First: You do not cause any trouble here. Second: You do your part and work hard at the job you are assigned. Third: I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we can't let any weapons be carried around the Safe-Zone."

The last one made Kenny and Clementine back up a bit. They looked at each other and had a mental conversation, reading each other's eyes and faces.

_'I don't know, Kenny.'_

_'I know, Clem. But, Christ, where else are we gonna go?'_

_'I know. Just... we need to be careful. These people don't trust us and we don't trust them.'_

_'Yeah. We obey the rules as best we can but don't take any shit. And if any of them go near AJ...'_

_'Yeah, I know. What other plan do we have?'_

The two turned back to the gate and Kenny answered, "We can do that." Douglas and Rick grinned.

"Great!" Douglas remarked. "We'll get you settled in and then I'll interview you, Kenny. Give you your job."

Kenny nodded and the gates opened.

* * *

**Okay, so chapter 1's locked down!**

**How did you like it? Any ideas for the future?**

**SD OUT**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys!**

**Glad to see chappie one got such a good reception, and I hope I can keep it up.**

**Let's get started!**

**Chapter 2**

Clementine never turned the safety of her pistol on, and for good reason.

In this crazy world, nothing could be anticipated. A walker might be hidden behind a tree trunk, waiting to gnash on your leg as you walk by, or bandits could attack in the middle of the night. You always had to be prepared. One second, just one second with your guard down, and things went to hell.

Clementine knew that better than anyone. Which is why she kept her gun in hand as she walked through the streets of Alexandria, in case someone went crazy and ran at them. Douglas Monroe, the leader, hadn't been too happy about letting her hold it on the way to the armoury, but a quick word from Rick had earned his permission.

Of course, once they got there, neither her nor Kenny was comfortable with leaving their weapons - every weapon - behind, but if they wanted to stay, that was the condition.

_"It's alright," Rick had told them. "My group weren't happy about it either. These people, the ones who've been here since the beginning... they have no idea just how bad it is. We do. And it's not easy going back to how we were, but we can manage it. We've all done the worst kinds of things just to stay alive... but we get to come back. And this is the first step."_

After that little speech Kenny had smiled wistfully and placed his gun and knife together behind an AK-47 but Clementine was more hesitant. Rick chuckled to himself and crouched down a little, grasping his stump with his left hand.

"Y'know, my son, he didn't like giving up his gun. He trusted it. He'd had it since the beginning and didn't want to let it go. He still feels uncomfortable, but he's getting better. I think you two would be good friends."

Clementine gave a light snort. She had no friends. Not since everything went to shit. All she had were either acquaintances, enemies, allies or family. And now all she had was family. AJ was her little brother and Kenny was the sort of overprotective uncle; he was an asshole, but he was _her_ asshole.

Nevertheless she reluctantly laid her gun and hatchet next to Kenny's (she'd thrown away the awl Jane gave her after shooting the psycho bitch) before breathing deeply. A soft cry could be heard from AJ.

Kenny froze. Shit. He didn't really know what to do when they cried except cuddle them and whisper soft nothings. That had always been Katjaa's department. He turned to the girl he considered his own. Not a daughter; she was Lee's daughter, and Kenny's niece.

"Uh, Clem... I, uh... you're better with him," he stammered awkwardly, holding the infant out. Clementine rolled her eyes playfully and took her little brother, hushing softly to the baby and holding him close, rocking gently. Damn, Kenny thought. One glance at her face and he hushes right up. Then he starts gurgling and reaching out for his 'big sister'. He chuckled lightly to himself and patted her on the back.

_"Look at you," Kenny had commented affectionately back at the memorial site when Clementine first held little AJ, grinning widely with pride. "Like a big sister."_

Both man and girl shared a moment with the baby, unintentionally ignoring Rick, who watched the two softly. The scene reminded him of himself with Carl when his son held Judith.

When they knocked themselves out of their stupor Clementine turned away and exited the room in front of the two adults. Rick stepped in front of her when she stopped and she caught sight of the stump where his right hand used to be. It reminded her of when she saw Lee's forearm after she killed the Stranger to save him. Shaking her head quickly she paid attention to Rick's instructions.

"Well, Douglas decided to give you three that house over there, next to mine," he informed them, pointing to a semi-detached house, a young boy sitting on the doorsteps of the one on the left. The boy had jet-black hair and a few scars across his face, reminiscent of Clementine's, who glanced at him before looking at the house joined to it, on the corner of the street. "That's my son, Carl. Clementine, why don't you talk to him for a bit while I take Kenny to Douglas so he can get his job?" It wasn't much of a question but it was polite enough so Clementine glanced at Kenny's face, reading 'It's up to you' before nodding at Rick, giving him a small smile, which the 31-year-old returned (AN: It was confirmed that Rick was 29 at the start of the comics, which makes him 31 at this point and 33 at the time the comics have reached).

As the two men walked away Clementine sighed tiredly. She felt a little like the new kid in the class trying to make friends. Licking her lips she rocked AJ for a moment before walking over to Carl.

The boy didn't notice her until she was almost right up to him. "Um... hello," he said awkwardly, looking at the girl who seemed a couple years older than him. "I'm Carl. Carl Grimes. You're, uh, the girl that just arrived?"

Clementine nodded. "Yeah. Clementine. You're Rick's son?" Carl nodded.

"Yeah, this your brother?" he asked, a little more enthusiastic.

Clementine pursed her lips. "You could say that." At seeing the confused look on Carl's face she elaborated, "More like an adoptive little brother." Carl nodded understandingly, but not sympathetically. Clementine liked that in people; people who didn't try to let you know 'just how much they understand'. Load of bullshit. "And Kenny's not my dad either. He lost his family. But we've been together since day one, so he's kind of an overprotective uncle, I guess."

Carl nodded, saying, "Don't mind these guys. They just don't know what it's like out there. One kid tried to knock me one my ass just 'cause I wouldn't let him see my gun. Course, then I had to give it up. Huh. Feel naked without it." Clementine snorted.

"That's an understatement." They both glanced at each other and laughed, for the first time in ages. "But this place seems like it's defensible, if Douglas would get his head out of his ass and post a guard or something."

Carl replied, "One of our group, Andrea does the guarding, but she's the only one, and even that's on shifts. She'd be up there all the time if she could be, but then she'd have to put with Douglas' flirting 24/7. Seriously, she's in her 20s and he's, like, 70."

They laughed again and Clementine said, "Yeah, pretty disgusting. Hopefully AJ won't be like that," and rocked the baby back to sleep when he woke up. Carl looked wistful.

"I had a baby sister," he said suddenly after a while. Clementine snapped her eyes back up to him. "We'd made a home of this prison, stayed there for a few months, then this psycho showed up and chopped my dad's hand off, raped Michonne and beat Glenn to about an inch of his life. Killed Tyreese and shot my mom when we were clearing the place out and escaping. She felt onto little Judith."

Clementine grimaced. "My left on trip to Savannah and left me with a babysitter, Sandra. My old group went to look for them, but they never made it past those first few days." Then a familiar name hit her. "Wait, Glenn?! Asian, black hair, kind of a cheery fella?" He was alive?

Carl was taken aback. "You know him?!"

"Yeah, he was with us in Macon for a bit before he ran off to Atlanta. Somethin' about findin' his friends. Haven't thought about that guy in a long time."

"Yeah, well, he's married now. Woman called Maggie Greene. Damn, they- hey, are you alright?"

Clem nodded. "You wouldn't mean Greene as in... Hershel Greene, would you?" At seeing Carl's bemused nod she cursed, "Shit! Well, they're not gonna be happy to see Kenny."

"Why?"

Clem swallowed. "We were there when his stepson died."

"Shawn?" Carl inquired curiously, remembering the name.

"Yeah. Kenny was with his wife Katjaa and his son Duck, I was with the man who found me in Atlanta, Lee. The morning after we arrived Shawn decided to build fences to protect the farm. Duck was on the tractor playing foreman while I talked with Katjaa. Walkers came and Duck managed to get the tractor stuck on Shawn's leg before he got grabbed. Lee and Kenny got him away before trying to help Shawn, but... it was too late. Hershel kicked us out afterwards."

Carl looked down at his feet, hearing the full story. "I'm sorry."

She bristled slightly, but calmed down. "It's alright," she replied, before noticing a familiar Asian walking hand-in-hand with a familiar Southern girl. She got to her feet quickly, but luckily AJ didn't wake. "Glenn?!"

The man in question turned around and locked eyes, immediately recognizing the girl in front of him. "Clementine?!" He let go of his wife's hand rushed over to the girl, Maggie close behind. "Oh, my God, Clem!"

"It's good to see you! I can't believe you're alive!" she remarked, holding AJ tightly. The man smirked.

He asked sarcastically, "You really that ignorant of my skills?" Then he sobered up. "Where's Lee?" At the set jaw on the girl's once innocent face he paled. "Oh, God."

"Wait," Maggie cut in, recognizing her too. "You were there the day..." Clementine became interested in her feet. "Well, it wasn't your fault."

"Wasn't anybody's fault," Clementine interrupted a little angrily. "Just some... stupid accident. That's all. But your dad isn't gonna be happy." She didn't catch the look on Maggie's face. "Kenny's here."

_"What?!"_ Maggie hissed lowly, not taking notice of her husband's hand on her chest.

Clementine hardened her eyes. "Yeah, and even if Shawn _had been_, which it wasn't, I think even your dad would agree that he got a hell of a lot more than his just desserts."

Maggie narrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Bandits attacked the motel, and Duck got bit on the way out. We stopped for a bit and Lilly killed Carley for telling her to grow and stop pointing fingers at everybody. Lee took control of the group and didn't let Lilly back on the RV. We reached this train and got it working again, and the rest of the group stayed in the back compartment while Kenny drove. He was... in complete denial. Kept snarling to everyone that he'd be fine, that we just get to the coast and he'd be fine soon. Eventually Duck couldn't go on any farther and Lee beat the shit out of Kenny, knocked some sense into him. We stopped and Lee offered to do it for them, but they wanted a moment in the woods with by themselves. We heard a gunshot and Kenny screamed. Lee ran in for them. Turned out Katjaa... couldn't face it."

Maggie flinched slightly, remembering her own brush with suicide. Hanging by that rope... she couldn't imagine the cheery mother losing it that much.

"Kenny had to put Duck down, and went into depression. Started drinking, he was hostile to strangers, but he pulled himself out. Now, though... well, he's been through more than he deserves. All he's ever tried to do is help the group, but he sometimes went too far. But me and AJ are all he has left. Anything happens to us... it'll destroy him."

Maggie backed up ashamedly. The story was just the abridged version, obviously, and she might not like the man, even if she didn't really blame him for looking out for his own family over hers, but even this short extract was more than the fisherman deserved.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. Clementine nodded, looking past her.

She told Maggie, "Don't say it to me," then pointed to Rick and some guy in a green jacket and an eyepatch with a face like a woodchipper and a big beard. "Say it to him."

"That's Kenny?!" Glenn exclaimed disbelievingly. Clementine nodded and he walked over. "Kenny! Man, it's been a long time! Didn't really expect any of you to be alive anymore!"

Kenny narrowed his eye before widening it. "Glenn, right? From Macon? Shit, you look a hell of a lot different bald!" His voice dropped as he spotted the farmer's daughter. "Ah, shit."

"Look, Kenny," she cut him off. "I don't blame you for what happened. And I don't think my dad, either, after a while."

"Yeah, Rick told me. He was a decent guy. A hardass, but..." The three shared a chuckle. "I don't even wanna know how you convinced to let ya marry his daughter, Glenn." The Asian smirked.

Carl stood up. "Well, I better go. See you guys. Bye dad." And he went into his house.

"Yeah, we better get settled, too," Kenny said, taking note of the darkening sky. "Come on, Clem. Night, y'all."

Clementine gave the three adults a rare smile and followed Kenny, AJ awake and gurgling in her arms.

* * *

**So they've been 'reunited' with Glenn and Maggie, and things are... civil.**

**Anyways, review! I always love hearing your thoughts and desires for the future. Should Douglas give Clem a job as lookout with Andrea after seeing her handle walkers? Whatever you want, tell me!**

**SD OUT**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey,** **guys!****  
**

**Glad to see chappie two got such a good reception, and I hope I can keep it up.**

**Reply to Guest: I don't really know, tbh. All I know is he's his stepson on the show. I've read all the comics but , hey...**

**Let's get started!**

**Chapter 3****  
**

Clementine breathed in the relatively new wood of the house and exhaled tiredly, tightening her grip on AJ, who smacked his lips cutely before rolling back into his sister's grasp. She cast a relieved smile to Kenny, who returned it, and began her journey silently up the stairs. The wood creaked slightly, greeting its new owners who walked up its brown carpet covered ledges. The cream walls beckoned the 11-year-old down its hallway and somehow both Clementine and Kenny knew which door to go through. Turning the handle, Clementine took a breath. Here we go, she thought, before pushing the door open and walking in, Kenny trailing behind with the bags.

The joint bedrooms were a welcoming sight. The not-too-big-not-too-small windows were bordered with deep red curtains and the walls had a homely blue hue. A modest wardrobe sat in the corner and the bed in between it and the window was cloaked in a forest green, flanked by two chests of drawers. A doorway led through into the next bedroom, which had the same design. Evidently more work was put into where people were sleeping. Smart.

"Y'know, Clem," Kenny started cheerfully, dropping the bags. "This might just be it. The place where we don't hafta worry about the walkers anymore. We can _live_ here, Clem," he continued, wide-eyed as he clasped her shoulder. "AJ can be raised right; the way Alvin and Becca wanted him raised. And you. You can have the childhood ya should have. Shouldn't hafta be fighting to survive, 'specially at your age."

Clementine frowned, deep in thought. Maybe he was right. This place, this... _town_ had walls, food, shelter and people. She didn't even need to worry about psychopaths like Carver running through; there were enough people to defend it.

_'You can't trust them,' _whispered a voice in the back of her mind, twitching at the fabric of her brain. It sounded suspiciously like a convoluted mixture of her own voice and Carver's. _'You don't even know them. Do you really want them around AJ? People who could go crazy and slam a knife into him at any time? And Kenny? Ha! He's psychotic! He's broken, Clementine, and you know it. Let him go, before he turns on you...'_

_"Shut up!" _the girl hissed back mentally. _"He's family, and he'd never hurt me, or AJ! So just leave me alone!"_

_'You know I'm right...'_

"Clem?"

Clementine flinched, getting a fright from the sudden sound. "Uh, yeah, Kenny?"

The man crouched down, taking AJ. "You alright? You zoned out there for a minute."

She swallowed. "Yeah, Kenny. Fine. I'm just fine."

Kenny took her slightly quivering form skeptically, then nodded unsmilingly. "Alright. I'll take this room and you can have the next, with AJ. He only really listens to you anyways."

Clementine nodded her understanding and took the baby back before hefting up her bag and heading into her room.

After dumping the bag in the corner she sat Alvin Jr. on the bed gently and stroked his sleeping face affectionately, then quickly set up her room as Kenny set up his own. It was a mutual agreement between the two: they sorted their own affairs but if it was important, it had to be shared.

_'And I'm not important?'_ asked the voice sarcastically. _'I'm hurt, little Clem. I'm your friend. Friends don't do this to each other...'_

_"Shut up and get out of my head!"_

_'Oh, I can't do that, Clementine.'_

_"Why the hell not?!"_

_'Because I am you, and you are me. You're stuck with me, girl! Face it!'_

_"If I made you, I can destroy you. Now leave!"_

The voice just laughed but offered no answer.

Sighing, Clementine finished off the crib and laid AJ in it. As she stared at the infant her hard face softened. He really was their focus, for both her and Kenny. Without him, they'd probably have given up.

Then again, without him Rebecca'd be alive, or we'd all be dead at the Russians' hands. The baby was the only reason they hadn't blown the group's faces off immediately. And if everything they'd been through happened anyway both her and Kenny would still be stuck with Jane.

Jane. The name hurt Clementine, sent a bolt straight through her chest.

The short-haired brunette had been even more cold-hearted than Clementine, but she'd known what she was doing. Jane was a survivor, with an arsenal of tricks and tools that were probably now lost to the world. And Clementine had trusted her, even when nobody else had. Kenny hated her as soon as look at her, Rebecca didn't like having her around that much, Mike gave her looks while her back was turned, even Luke was uneasy around her, despite their sexual activity when they were supposed to be watching for walkers. But Clementine had gotten to know her, to see that softer, sensitive side, had heard of her sister Jaime, and they worked well together.

But after Jane manipulated Kenny into trying to kill her by pretending to have killed AJ just to make a point, Clementine couldn't trust her anymore.

The girl in question sighed tiredly and kicked off her sneakers, sat her hat on the drawers, pulled off her purple top and shimmied out of her jeans before taking a housecoat about her size and a set of underwear before heading into the bathroom. The sight was pure white. Honestly, the walls were covered in tiles. Actual tiles! And a toilet and a sink and shower! Damn, Clem felt like she was in heaven. Although that was nothing to the feeling of the hot water drizzling down her back. Thank God there was at least one power station still up and running!

But something didn't feel right...

After she got out and entered the hallway Clem bumped into Kenny. The 42-year-old gave her a warm smile and clapped her shoulder, before noticing the look on her face.

"Clem," he began warningly. "You got the same look as earlier. What's wrong?"

Knowing what it was the girl licked her lips. She said resignedly, "This all just feels... weird. Fake. Like we're all hiding, and we can't hide forever, but we're fooling ourselves into thinking it."

The one-eyed man swallowed nervously and said pragmatically, "I know, Clem. Truth is, that Monroe fucker is a flake. Can tell as soon as look at him. Now, that Rick fella; he's different. He's like us; knows what it's like, and I think we can trust him. Still, keep an open mind, Clem."

"Yeah, but it's not that. It's, I just feel... naked." Seeing the look Kenny gave her she rolled her eyes and scolded, "Grow up! It's just uncomfortable without my gun." Kenny unconsciously felt his back pocket and sighed.

"Yeah, me too. But we'll get them back, Clem. Just need to prove to these bastards what it's like. I don't know how, but they'll figure it out."

Clementine nodded and went into her room and checked on AJ.

"Still snug as a bug in a rug," she commented softly, recalling her dad's rhyme whenever he tucked her in. The thought made her cringe in grief. Clementine missed them, she missed them both so much. And she wished they could be there with her, but on the other hand she was glad they'd died early. They didn't have to go through all of this shit. They would never recognise her now. And they would be so disappointed in her, everything she'd done. Though they'd also be proud, she knew that much. Neither would know which to be.

Pushing the thought out of her mind Clementine rolled over and closed her eyes, letting the darkness take her, but not before she heard one last thing.

_'You don't need them. You have me..."_

* * *

**I know that Alexandria most likely has no power (difficult to tell on a black and white comic) but the party early on takes place at night, and it doesn't look like they're in complete darkness.**

**So Clem might be going nuts. A reaction to the tamed surroundings, or just the apocalypse?**

**Any thoughts on Carl? Friendship, brother/sister, romance? Up to you!**

**Any ideas on how to prove the state of the world to Alexandria? Should they go to Rick and co. or try to prove it themselves?**

**Again, any thoughts are welcome, besides flames, so long as you hit that sexy review button!**

**SD OUT**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey,** **guys!****  
**

**Right, so Alexandria has power. Thanks, guys, for clearing that up! It's been a while so I forgot!**

**Anyways, let's get this show on the road!**

**Chapter 4**

Digging her spoon into her out-of-date cereal Clementine shuddered, thinking about her 'friend'. He/she sounded like a combination of a darker version of herself and Carver. Just the thought of having that psycho in her head all the time made her want to throw up, and she dealt with rotting corpses all day. But what did it want? It seemed like it wanted _her_, what with all its begging to stay away from everyone and that she didn't need them because she had it, but that couldn't be all, right?

_Why not? I'm a part of you, after all. Why can't I want to look out for my other half's wellbeing?_

Oh, God, she thought. Here it is. She turned her attention to it. 'Shut up! Go away! You're not me, so just get out of my head!'

_Ugh, it groaned. How many times... look, I'm done trying to convince you we're one and the same, but you have to believe me: I just want the best for you, Clementine. I'm trying to look out for you..._

Clementine ignored it, instead pausing her own breakfast to feed AJ, who was moaning and waving his tiny hand at his food. She took the baby spoon and smiled as she watched AJ open his jaws wide, almost to the size of her mouth when it opened. Of course she rolled her eyes when a pair of hands covered her eyes.

"Guess who?" asked a familiar voice.

"Hmm, I dunno," Clementine teased. "Rick?" A sigh from the boy and the hands were removed.

"You're no fun," Carl complained lightly as he sat down. It had been a few weeks since the arrival at Alexandria and things were comfortable.

Kenny generally kept changing between going on patrols with Rick and switching watches with Andrea, so he kept a full working day, from 07:00 to 20:00. Also, he was exempt from work at the weekends so he could fall back on his old job as a fisherman, catching fish from dawn til dusk on Saturday and completely free on Sunday.

Clementine, on the other hand, was stuck at school with Carl and his girlfriend Sophia, who had been adopted by Glenn and Maggie, kinda like her with Lee. Not that school was difficult; she found it ridiculously easy, it was just that she could not see the point in it. What use was pre-algebra in the apocalypse?

Despite this, she knew that if society were ever to rebuild these things had to keep on being taught, so she buckled down and did her work with Sophia, unlike Carl, who tended to sleep during class. Honestly, what did he do at night?!

Sophia was a nice girl: kind and considerate, if a little shy and childish. She was the image of the old-world loner of the school, except she had friends. Well, a friend in Clementine and a boyfriend in Carl. Sophia had been a little wary of the amount of time the other two spent together but after warming up to Clementine the fears had visibly gone away. Which was just as well; Clementine knew it was the quiet ones you had to watch, and any amount of jealousy on Sophia's part would not end well. She didn't like Carl like that, but it was weird (in her opinion) that Carl spent more time with her than his girlfriend.

Then again, they did have more in common: they both were exceedingly mature for their age, they could kick walker ass, both could hold their own against adults and they weren't afraid to speak their mind or do the absolute shit things the adults didn't have the balls to. Carl had killed his friend, a boy named Ben who killed his twin brother in the belief that he would come back and nothing would change. Clementine had done numerous things in the heat of the moment, such as hack off Sarita's (Kenny's then-girlfriend) hand after it got bit, although that had led to her being chomped, and shooting Rebecca after she reanimated during their confrontation with the Russians was one of the hardest things she'd ever done. Still, there was nothing... '_like that' _between the two 11-year-olds, merely a strong friendship.

(AN: I know Carl is 9 at this point and Clem is 11, following the comics, which Telltale sees as canon, but I've always seen Carl as the same age as Clem, I mean he looks about 13 right now in the comics although he's actually 11, so let's just pretend, huh? Ignore that Clem is actually 2 years older - not in my story. Not completely sure on the romance but I want him the same age regardless.)

"I know," Clementine commented with a smirk, finishing off her own breakfast and wiping the marks of the mash off AJ's chin. The infant was surprisingly well-behaved for a baby, although seeing Kenny's ugly mug every day was enough to put anyone in their place, even someone who's only a month old. "'Sup, Carl? Your dad annoying you again?"

Carl looked visibly uncomfortable. He started slowly, "Clem, he's sleeping with Jessie. Y'know... Ron's mom?"

Clementine grimaced. "That kid that hates you for not letting him see your gun?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah. Me and him saw each other this morning on my way, and... it's weird."

Clementine just nodded. Of course it's weird! The two boys don't like each other and their parents are screwing?! Ew!

"So, I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure, Carl. Shoot."

He sighed. "Okay. It's Sophia's birthday next week, and I dunno what to do for her. I mean, there's nothing I can actually _get_ her, since the economy's went belly up, but I was thinking there was something I could do. And I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but since you're a girl, I was hoping you could gimme some pointers?"_  
_

Clementine let out a breath. How could she help? Sophia was kind of a girly-girl and Clem was really tomboyish, even if the former was mature for their age. "Well, I suggest you just... be there. Wish her a happy birthday, take a walk, do whatever she says - that one's really important - and be nicer to her. No offense, Sheriff Jr. but you can be a bit of a jerk to her at times." At seeing Carl's look of indignation she cut him off. "I know you don't mean it but it makes her feel bad. Still, take advantage of it. The bigger an effort she sees you making, the more special she'll feel."

Carl just sat there stupefied. "Uhhh..." Clementine rolled her eyes.

"To sum it up: make as big an effort as possible to make it her day. She'll see the effort and feel really good. That means she'll be happier. Got it?"

At his friend's condescending tone of voice Carl scowled. "Yeah, I got it," he huffed. "Be nice and do whatever she says, and make a big effort to make her feel good."

Clementine grinned at Carl's unnoticed pout. "Aww, did I hurt the poor boy's feelings? Ah, well. And one last thing."

"What?" asked Carl, one hand on the doorway and one foot outside.

"At the end of the night, give her a real kiss. Not that cheek stuff you're so fond of. Grow a pair, Sheriff!"

Carl grumbled and closed the door.

* * *

Clementine sat at the 'park bench' playing with her switchblade. Well, not exactly playing, just flicking it open and closed. AJ was with a sitter so she had the day to herself, and she intended to have it as peaceful as she could.

Alas, it was not to be.

A few screams echoed from a few streets across and Clementine immediately jumped into action. She gripped her knife and took off sprinting down the road, her heart thumping in her chest. What was going on?

As she turned the corner she saw the problem.

There was a large hole where a chunk of wall used to be, and dozens of walkers were pouring through.

Quickly Clementine analysed the situation: walkers were arriving in troves, people had no weapons and were running scared, those that were fighting were barely surviving. Okay, she could deal with that.

Unfortunately the armoury was on the other side of town.

Shit.

Clementine dashed forward, ducking under an arm and kicking at the side of a knee. As the walker fell she gripped its chin and slammed her switchblade into the back of its neck, killing it. Not stopping she turned around and threw her arm up into the air, the blade reaching to the back of the approaching walker's throat and killing it. Without time to waste she ran over to Douglas Monroe and threw herself into the walker on top of him.

As the walker and the girl crashed to the ground the blade skittered away, and she couldn't get to it because the walker was now on top of her.

Great. Just great.

She kept a hand on its head and the other reaching for the blade, despite the futility. She could get it, she could get it...

... she couldn't get it.

Giving up, Clementine took one last option.

She grabbed the walker's head and gave the front a nice, big headbutt.

Thankfully the reverberations reached the back of the brain, somewhat stunning the walker for a few seconds. Taking advantage of the situation, and with adrenaline coursing through her veins, Clementine slipped away and took the knife, killing the walker before looking up.

Rick, Carl, Glenn, Maggie, Abraham, Michonne, Andrea and Kenny had arrived with their weapons and were kicking walker ass, slicing, dicing and shooting the horde up. Clementine got to her feet slowly, but a huge pain spiked in her ankle and she fell. Taking a deep breath, she carefully hobbled to the wall and leaned on it.

It wasn't too long until the herd thinned out to nothingness, resulting in herself, the group and Douglas being alone for a few silent seconds before the people started gathering. Huh, thought Clementine. They show up after it's all over. Convenient.

"What the hell was this shit, Douglas?!" screamed one resident.

"Yeah! How'd the roamers get in?!" called another.

Rick sighed and came over, his one hand raised. "If everyone would calm down, please," he ordered in his 'sheriff' voice, tired but authoritative. "First we need to clean this up, then block the hole in the wall. After that I'm sure you'll be able to ask as many questions as you like."

Douglas wasn't happy about that, judging by the way he was glaring at Rick. Gathering his senses, he pointed accusingly at Kenny and Andrea. "Wait!" he yelled. "Weren't you two supposed to be watching for this?! What happened?!"

Kenny pursed his lips and marched in front of everyone. "It was my shift, but you wanted to talk to me right now. Everyone, Rick is right; we can bitch all we like once we clean this shit up. Now please go home and calm your beans."

Kenny's repeat left the group grumbling as they left, and Rick sent him a disapproving look. "Carl, Clementine," the sheriff said. "Why don't you two run along home, and see what you can do for them."

Nodding, the two kids turned on their heels and walked down the road.

"Clem," Carl started concernedly. "You alright?" The girl nodded curtly.

"I'm not bit," she stated shortly. "Just twisted my ankle on the way down. I'll get AJ, rest it up. Should be okay in an hour or two."

He smiled. "Good. I'll check on Sophia. See you, Clem."

"Bye, Carl."

* * *

_I told you, the thing growled. You should just let me take the reins! I'm the stronger one anyways!_

'Hell no!' Clementine snarled in her mind. 'You're not real. You're just a figment of my imagination. Disappear!'

_It doesn't work like that, Clementine. I just want you safe, and the best way for that to happen is to let me take control!_

Clementine breathed and glanced around, getting to her feet. The ankle was healing, AJ was asleep and Kenny was rebuilding the wall. It gave her time to think, and unfortunately that meant the thing bothered her.

She took her face in her hands and sighed. If only it would leave her alone.

But that wasn't happening anytime soon.

* * *

_Next Time on A New Life_

_"Hey, Clem," Kenny greeted. "Monroe wants to speak to ya. Probably just wants to thank ya for saving him yesterday. On you go, I'll take Alvie."_

_Handing over the child Clementine said, "Thanks, Kenny," and walked off._

_..._

_"I'm sorry, Douglas, but you can't just hide behind your walls and hope it all goes away."_

_The man narrowed his eyes curiously and leaned forward._

_"What would you suggest I do?"_

_..._

_Sophia giggled as Clementine made faces at AJ. The infant laughed and gurgled at his big sister as the blonde gave a soft smile._

_"I still can't get over how cute he is!" she cooed, letting AJ play with her pinky. "Hey, how's Kenny?"_

_Clementine shrugged. "Fine. Busy, but he likes it that way. Doesn't like too much time to reflect." Then she smirked. "Hey, Carl's really nervous about your birthday, y'know."_

_Sophia's eyes widened and she blushed a little. "What d'you mean?" she asked meekly._

_"Aw, y'know, just begging for advice on how to treat ya, things like that."_

_Sophia rolled her eyes. "No different than usual," she said, more to herself. "Though he could be a little nicer."_

_Clementine groaned sympathetically with her friend, "I know. That's what I said. Not sure how much got through."_

_"Yeah. Must be a boy thing."_

_Both girls caught each other's stare and giggled._

_..._

_"Alright, let's break up into small groups. Carl, Sophia and Clem, you take that house, Abraham, Maggie and Glenn can do the gas station and me, Michonne and Kenny can take care of the superstore for anything tinned. Okay, everyone stay frosty. Move out."_

_..._

_"Alright, girl. Oooh," the man caught himself, now eyeing her like some sort of prize. "Damn. Maybe the boss'll let me have my fun with ya before shit goes down."_

_Clementine had to stop herself from spitting into the man's face._

_"Then again, maybe I'll have my fun here."_

_..._

_"So now I'm going to beat the holy fuck fucking fuckedy fuck out of one of you with my bat. Who I call 'Lucille'. Lucille has barbed wire wrapped around the end of her. It's fucking awesome. So, it's really just a matter of picking which one of you gets the honour."_

_Sophia began weeping and having a small nervous breakdown, similar to a sized-down version of Sarah's. "Mommy..." she begged Maggie, who just let her tears fall._

_"Well, that's just precious. My little heart is breaking. A mother and her child, especially when the mother is way too hot to have a child that old... no way I can kill you." The bastard turned to Carl. "What's the story on this future serial killer?" he continued. "Shit fuck, kid - lighten up. At least cry a little. I can't kill you before your story ends. Too fucking interesting. Not you," he told Glenn. "I'm a lot of things but I'd never want to be called a racist. No fucking way. You're off limits." His eyebrow rised at Michonne. "My, my... there's a lot of things I'd like to do to you, and killing you is at the absolute fucking bottom of that list. Still on it, though. Oh, now here's a possibility," he said interestedly, looking at Kenny. "White, male, but ooh... you, sir, have seen too much. You'd fucking welcome death, wouldn't you? Yes..." He saw Clementine and both of his eyebrows rose. "Shit. Another fuckedy fucking kid. And just as strong as any of these pricks, I'll bet. Only difference 'tween you and the boy is you ain't gonna turn up some fucking serial murderer. No, ma'am. But we've already wronged you, so lucky, fucking lucky." He laughed when saw Rick. "You? How stupid do you think I am? You're practically invincible. You're missing a fucking hand for fuck's sake - and you're the leader. What have these people seen you live through? I bet they fucking worship you. I'm not going to turn you into a martyr. The name of the game is breaking you in front of them. I'll slide my dick down your throat and make you thank me for it... then they'll all fall in line."_

_The prick backed up and extended his arms. "I simply cannot fucking decide!" __He thought for a bit before smirking. "I've got an idea. Heh."_

Then he took his bat and began counting.

"Eeny, meeny, miney, moe..."

"... catch a tiger by the toe..."

"... if he hollers..."

"... let him go..."

"...my mother told me..."

"... to pick the..."

"...very best one..."

"...and you..."

"...are..."

"...it."

Hearing everyone's gasp Clementine looked up to see who was going to die. But then she saw...

...the bat was pointed at her.

* * *

**So, do ya like my 'Next Time'? It got a good reception for 'Use Me' so I decided to try it here.**

**Anyway, like? Hate? Hit that sexy review button and let me know!**

**SD OUT**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey,** **guys!****  
**

**Love the reviews! Keep 'em up!**

**Reply to Lee and Kenny: LOL! Love the funny reviews! Please keep them coming!**

**Also, I was thinking of a name for the Carl/Clem pairing and came across a different type of name, instead of a portmanteau (mash-up), there's a type called 'nautical metaphors'. Basically it comes from the term 'ship' and, while being a less popular form of pairing name, can be effective, deriving from something to do with each character, be it metaphors of their names, equipment or even their personality. So, I decided to come up for a few nautical metaphors for Carl and Clem.**

**'S.S. Guns 'n' Roses' **

**'H.M.S. Still Not Bitten' (sorry, couldn't resist)**

**'S.S. Young Adults' **

**'H.M.S. Evil Protegees'**

**'S.S. Sheriff D'**

**'H.M.S. Animal I Have Become' (love that song)**

**'S.S. Just Another Monster'**

**Pick one or come up with your own. Doesn't mean the relationship is set in stone, I was just reading the reviews and they came to mind.**

**Lastly, it was Mikey who dislikes Carl for not letting him see his gun. Ron hates him because Rick killed his dad, even though said dad was abusing. Thanks to ZombieSlayer995 for clearing that up!**

**Anyway, let's get this shit on!**

**Chapter 5**

"Happy Birthday, Sophia!"

It was 3:30 in the afternoon, and Clementine, Kenny, Carl, Rick, Michonne, Abraham, Andrea, Maggie, Glenn and the birthday girl herself were gathered in her house. Despite the state of the world, the group had decided to host a mini-party while they could. Douglas had allowed them the day off to celebrate, and so a modest cake was sitting in the kitchen, white icing with a lone candle on top whilst the people were in the living room.

"Hi, everyone," Sophia greeted sheepishly, nervous at being put on the spot. Carl, who had led her in, patted her on the shoulder before sitting down next to his dad on the couch. As the next few seconds passed, smirks grew until Andrea'd had enough.

"Alright, guys," she declared, standing up. "I think we've tortured her long enough. Let's get going."

Thankful, Sophia cast Andrea a grateful look, which was returned. Everyone agreed, getting up and entering the kitchen.

**_(Don't want to do a whole birthday scene. I actually hate them and cannot write them_ well.)**

2 Hours Later

The 'party' had broken up and people were leaving, the final three being the kids. After saying goodbye to Glenn and Maggie, they had decided to go out and enjoy themselves. Parties just annoyed the three, even Sophia, who was still more child-like than anyone either of the other two had met since everything went to shit, besides Duck or Sarah, who were both sheltered from it all.

"Hey, guys," Clementine said, getting the attention of the two lovebirds. "I'ma need to pick up AJ. See ya!"

"Bye, Clem!

* * *

Clementine laid on the living room sofa, reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, AJ sleeping peacefully in his makeshift crib (big box-pathetic, but hey, it's the apocalypse!) next to her. It didn't take long to reach the ending and she sat it on the table before laying her head back.

Whoa, she thought. Even after this length of time it still didn't feel real; Alexandria. It was the haven she had been searching after for two years, and now she was here. With a ragtag family consisting of a crazy uncle and an adorable baby brother, a caring community and the best friends she'd had since... well, ever, now she came to think about it. Her friends in grade school were actually really mean, looking back; always teasing her for stuff and things like that, and Duck was great, but _way_ over-talkative, and kinda childish, and don't even get her started on Sarah: first time they met, girl insisted becoming instant 'best-friends' and damn, did she freak out over everything!_  
_

Carl and Sophia, on the other hand, they were always nice enough to her (Carl could be dumb, but that could easily be put down to stupid boy stuff), weren't all that immature, and despite their relationship kept her in the loop and didn't leave her out of anything.

Of course, just as she got a smile on her face he woke up and started crying.

Groaning, Clementine rolled over and stood up, reaching into the box.

"Hey, you," she tiredly said, bobbing him up and down, close to her shoulder. "Calm down. I know you don't like the box, but you need to. Okay?" AJ calmed down to a small whimper at his sister's voice before eventually gurgling cutely and pulling slightly on her hair. "Okay." Then the door opened. "Kenny."

"Hey, Clem," Kenny greeted. "Monroe wants to speak to ya. Probably just wants to thank ya for saving him yesterday. On you go, I'll take Alvie."

"Handing over the child Clementine said, "Thanks, Kenny," and walked off.

* * *

Stopping before the door Clementine took a breath, set her face into stone and knocked on the door, a little more tentatively than she would've liked.

"Come in," came the voice from the inside. "Ah, Clementine! I wanted to speak to you about a couple of things," Douglas continued jovially as she entered and closed the door. "Take a seat."

Clementine replied respectfully, "Thank you, sir," and obliged. "Is this about yesterday, because-" he held up a hand to stop her, before standing up and pacing back and forth behind his desk.

"Partly that, yes. But I couldn't help notice you don't particularly struggle in class?" he suggested lightly. At her confused nod he smiled. "You don't really pay that much attention, but it's not too difficult." This time it wasn't a question. "And on top of what I saw yesterday, I can't help but feel your skills are wasted. And so, I wanted to extend a friendly offer."

At the honeyed words Clementine's eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean?" she inquired evenly. He smiled again and walked behind her, leaning on her chair.

"You feel as though you could do more around the town?" Clementine nodded a little. "Good," Douglas grinned, a little too widely in her opinion. "Well, my dear, would you like to take up some of the watch duty, from 7 to 1? You would spend a bit of time with Andrea, of course, and she can help you with it. And it would help to ease the burden, so to speak."

The whole situation had Clementine a little on edge. Something wasn't right with this guy. But, hey, what did she have to lose? "It's a deal, Mr. Monroe," she answered neutrally. Douglas grinned again and sat back down.

"Great!" he exclaimed. "You'll start tomorrow, by that time the wall should be rebuilt and things ought to go back to normal."

"I'm sorry, Douglas, but you can't just hide behind your walls and hope it all goes away."

The man narrowed his eyes curiously and leaned forward.

"What would you suggest I do?"

An unpleasant feeling rose through her, seemingly stripping her very soul from her body; not painful, yet not nice at all. What was this?

"Get off your ass, fortify this place, send people out to actually get things done!" she sneered. Wait, that wasn't Clementine! Yet it came from her mouth, and it used her voice...

_Hello again._

Urgh! she inwardly groaned, partly disbelieving. You.

_Yes, me. Now shut up! I'm working!_

* * *

Sophia giggled as Clementine made faces at AJ. The infant laughed and gurgled at his big sister as the blonde gave a soft smile.

"I still can't get over how cute he is!" she cooed, letting AJ play with her pinky. "Hey, how's Kenny?"

Clementine shrugged. "Fine. Busy, but he likes it that way. Doesn't like too much time to reflect." Then she smirked. "Hey, Carl was really nervous about your birthday, y'know."

Sophia's eyes widened and she blushed a little. "What d'you mean?" she asked meekly.

"Aw, y'know, just begging for advice on how to treat ya, things like that."

Sophia rolled her eyes. "No different than usual," she said, more to herself. "Though he could be a little nicer."

Clementine groaned sympathetically with her friend, "I know. That's what I said. Not sure how much got through."

"Yeah. Must be a boy thing."

Both girls caught each other's stare and giggled.

"Anyway," Clem said tiredly, yet amusedly. "It hasn't really sunk in yet, y'know?"

Sophia smiled and tilted her head cutely. "What?" she asked softly.

"Just..." Clem trailed off. "All this. Y'know, Alexandria. We spent so much time on the road, this just feels... I dunno, alien, I guess is the word."

Sophia looked down and sighed before leaning her head on her friend's shoulder. "I know," she replied weakly, as Clem let her own head fall on Sophia's. "Feels like some sorta dream. Still, I don't want it to end. I just wanna stay here and forget it all."

Clem let out a breath and stroked AJ's cheek, remembering everything she'd been through.

"Me too."

* * *

(AN: Nother POV, nother POV, nother POV! Never done this before!)

Carl leaned his head back against the wall, arms crossed as he sighed dejectedly. Damn, he'd screwed up.

_He sat on the wall with Sophia, hands joined, heads on shoulders; the picture of a young relationship. The type you saw on postcards in the old days._

_Maybe that was why he messed up. Because it was too perfect._

_"Hey," Sophia murmured. "Do you ever miss your mom? And Judith?"_

_Miss them? He remembered them every second of every day. Saw their faces whenever he closed his eyes. A small spurt of anger bubbled in his stomach before clamping down on it. She was just being curious._

_"Course," he replied, a little more forcefully than intended. "I don't make a habit of forgetting people."_

_His girlfriend's hand tightened and he realised his mistake, but of course his damn pride stopped him from apologising. Besides, she'd get over it. Always did. He squeezed back and gave a soft smile, though he didn't get one in return._

_Carl kicked his legs awkwardly, not knowing what to do. "Hey, uhh... wanna get somethin' to eat?" he suggested. Sophia nodded a little stiffly._

_"Sure," she replied, as they simultaneously turned over and hopped off the wall, but she landed wrong and dropped like a sack of potatoes. Sophia groaned, though more out of irritation than pain._

_"Y'alright?" he asked as she picked herself up slowly, like she were waiting for something._

_"Yes," Sophia answered curtly, walking a little bit in front of him. God, was she still angry?! He sighed, annoyed as he picked up the brisk pace._

_Throughout the entire 'date' she'd been getting colder and colder to him, and now she seemed annoyed by his presence. What was he doing wrong? Aside from that unintentional snub to Carol, he couldn't tell where he'd gone wrong. Was it because he didn't help her up? But she shouldn't need help! This is the goddamned apocalypse! Or was it his tone when he snapped earlier after she tried to help him sort the zip on his jacket?_

_Then a thought hit him._

_Throughout their entire relationship he hadn't exactly been nice to her. He'd been an ass at the beginning, even when she pecked him on the cheek, though to be fair she had been a little too enthusiastic. And he'd been able to tell she'd had a crush on him in Atlanta, but he'd really ignored her. In the prison he was completely insensitive when Carol killed herself, and wasn't that kind to her whenever she had a problem. On the road he never really paid her attention, but he was busy keeping alive; they all were. Also, at times he got irritated by her cheerful manner and naivety, and he was always worrying when important things came up, like her birthday._

_Now he came to think about it, the only time he'd been comfortable with her was when they were messing around and playing games with Ben and Billy. With other people. The only time things went right between them was with other people around._

_He slowed a little and Sophia noticed, turning around with a raised eyebrow._

_"What?"_

_Carl set his jaw and sighed. "I dunno. I just... why do we never get along?"_

_Sophia softened, looking down. "I don't know. Just, whenever something comes up one of us says something wrong then we argue then forget about it later. I don't like it."_

_"Me either."_

_Sophia shook her head. "Maybe... no. Forget it."_

_Carl narrowed his eyebrows. "What?"_

_She swallowed. "Maybe we shouldn't be... y'know..."_

_"Dating?" asked Carl tiredly._

_"Yeah."_

_Neither spoke for a long time, just thinking as they looked at the ground, the wind breezing through occasionally. Eventually Carl spoke up._

_"Then let's not," he sighed, watching Sophia nod lightly, looking down._

_She looked up after a while. "Yeah. Let's not."_

* * *

"Okay, people!" Douglas announced to the Rick's Group, which now really included Clementine, Kenny and AJ, though AJ was with Jesus again. Why people gave him that ridiculous nickname Clementine didn't know, but he was a good guy. "We got a supply run to give to a couple friends of ours. Call themselves the Hilltop," he explained to Clementine and Kenny, who hadn't known. "We've been having some trouble with another group called the Saviors, led by a guy called Negan. Nasty piece of work. Anyway, they've run out of what we have and if y'all would deliver it, I'd be much obliged."

The two glanced at each other and came to the same conclusion. Kenny nodded mutely and Douglas smiled.

"Thank you. Now it's Rick, Carl, Glenn, Maggie, Sophia, Michonne, Abraham and the two of you. By the way, Glenn, Maggie, Sophia: you'll be sorely missed."

"What?" asked Kenny confusedly. He'd gotten quite close to them lately and Clem shared his sentiments. What was he talking about?

Catching their look, Glenn explained, "We've been there, and, well, with Maggie pregnant and all, we thought maybe it would be best to..." he trailed off lamely, looking down.

Clementine swallowed. They were leaving? But, but... No, Clem, she told herself. They're probably right. It's not safe, and it's not the right place for a pregnant woman. This Hilltop must be better defended, more supplies (usually) and a better community. Still, she would miss them.

Glenn and Maggie were there at the beginning, and now they were leaving.

* * *

Rick stood in front of the group at the area they'd chosen to stop for the night, since it was getting dark. They'd decided to split up and gather any supplies they could find.

"Alright, let's break up into small groups. Carl, Sophia and Clem, you take that house, Abraham, Maggie and Glenn can do the gas station and me, Michonne and Kenny can take care of the superstore for anything tinned. Okay, everyone stay frosty. Let's move out."

The kids took off without speaking to each other, Carl and Clementine with their guns drawn. Sophia was more nimble than the others, so if anything needed a tight fit, she could get it.

Clementine felt strange as they entered the main corridor; standing between Carl and Sophia felt awkward, including the way they avoided each other's eyes. She narrowed her own and decided to speak up.

"What's up with you two?" she inquired quietly. The other two immediately halted. Okay...

"We, uhhh..." Carl tried.

"We broke up," Sophia interjected bluntly, head held high. "We decided we weren't right for each other." Then she took off down one corridor with her knife in hand. Carl nodded to Clementine before heading down the other, leaving her to take the upstairs.

Well, that was awkward.

* * *

One door down...

Two doors down...

Thr-

"Hey, girl," hissed a sickly, throaty voice as a blade was pressed to her throat. Clementine felt her gun ripped from her hand and thrown away along with all of her other things. Everything besides her clothes.

Shit.

For a moment she debated whether or not to let the thing inside her out before it made the decision for her.

It headbutted the attacker, flipped around and threw a punch to his nose before kneeing his junk, but missing, hitting his thigh. He took advantage of that, gripping both of her wrists and wrestling her to the ground. The thing retreated and Clementine was left alone to deal with this punk. The grip was getting stronger and she noticed her hat on the ground, a few metres away.

"Alright, girl. Oooh," the man caught himself, now eyeing her like some sort of prize. "Damn. Maybe the boss'll let me have my fun with ya before shit goes down."

Clementine had to stop herself from spitting into the man's face.

"Then again, maybe I'll have my fun here."

He held Clementine's arms to the ground and pushed his body weight onto her, her whimpers only encouraging him as he ran his disgusting tongue up her cheek.

Oh, God, she thought. Don't let him. Please, no...

He kept on feeling her up, before slipping a hand down her trousers...

* * *

Clementine's tears didn't halt on the way outside, even though the... bastard... was smacking her upside the head and telling her to stop. She felt... tainted. Filthy. Disgust rose up within her and she wanted to hack up.

Where was the thing when she needed it?

She didn't even notice when she was forced to her knees next to Kenny.

"Hey!" the man whispered worriedly. "You okay?! What happened?!"

The words helped Clementine to stop the tears. She breathed heavily and shook her head violently. She wouldn't tell him. She couldn't tell him. He couldn't go back to what he was.

"Clem?" Kenny's eye widened. "Oh, fuck!" He got to his feet and rushed the creep. "You fucking prick! How can you do _that_ to a little girl?! You disgusting lit-"

Suddenly something smashed into his face and he crashed to the ground in front of her. Clementine leaned over and helped him back into position.

"Calm the fuck down," came a man's voice. Not too deep or too high, but an ordinary pitch. A line of authority and strength flowed through it and the confidence sent shivers down Clementine's spine. She looked up to see a man in his late 20's to early 30's, with slicked back raven hair, strong features and a forceful look, masked by cockiness and arrogance. He sported a leather jacket, worn jeans and dirty black boots, wielding a baseball bat with barbed wire wrapped around the end. Clementine glanced up and down it, feeling actual fear for the first time since Carver discovered their plot back at Howe's. "You like?" said the leader cheerfully. "Me too." He ran his hand lovingly across its wooden handle and turned away.

"Clem?" asked Carl, who was beside his dad. "What happened?"

She didn't meet his gaze, hearing Sophia hiss at him to leave her alone. Clementine looked up the line, seeing everyone bar Abraham.

Rick saw her looking and his face fell. "They got him," he told her softly. She closed her eyes and looked down.

Then the leader, Negan, she supposed, came back.

"So now I'm going to beat the holy fucking fuckedy fuck out of one of you with my bat. Who I call 'Lucille'. Lucille has barbed wire wrapped around the end of her. It's fucking awesome. So it's really just a matter of picking which one of you gets the honour."

Sophia began weeping and having a small nervous breakdown, similar to a sized-down version of Sarah's. "Mommy," she begged Maggie, who just let her tears fall.

"Well, that's just precious. My little heart is breaking. A mother and her child, especially when the mother is way too hot to have a child that old... no way I can kill you." The bastard turned to Carl. "What's the story on this future serial killer?" he continued. "Shit fuck, kid - lighten up. At least cry a little. I can't kill you before your story ends. Too fucking interesting. Not you," he told Glenn. "I'm a lot of things but I'd never want to be called a racist. No fucking way. You're off limits." His eyebrows rise at Michonne. "My, my... there's a lot of things I'd like to do to you, and killing you is at the absolute fucking bottom of that list. Still on it, though. Oh, now here's a possibility," he said interestedly, looking at Kenny. "White, male, but ooh... you, sir, have seen too much. You'd fucking welcome death, wouldn't you? Yes..." He saw Clementine and both of his eyebrows rose. "Shit. Another fuckedy fucking kid. And just as strong as any of these pricks, I'll bet. Only difference 'tween you and the boy is you ain't gonna end up some fucking serial murderer. No, ma'am. But we've already wronged you, so lucky, fucking lucky." He laughed when he saw Rick. "You? How stupid do you think I am? You're practically invincible. You're missing a fucking hand for fuck's sake - and you're the leader. What have these people seen you live through? I bet they fucking worship you. I'm not gonna turn you into a martyr. The name of the game is breaking you in front of them. I'll slide my dick down your throat and make you thank me for it... then they'll all fall in line."

The prick backed up and extended his arms. "I simply cannot fucking decide!" He thought for a bit before smirking. "I got an idea. Heh."

Then he took his bat and began counting.

"Eeny, meeny, miney. moe..."

"... catch a tiger by the toe..."

"... if he hollers..."

"... let him go..."

"... my mother told me..."

"... to pick the..."

"... very best one..."

"... and you..."

"... are..."

"... it."

Hearing everyone's gasp Clementine looked up to see who was going to die. But then she saw...

... the bat was pointed at her.

Shit.

"No!" shouted Kenny, trying to get up, but two of the assholes forced him back down. "You fucking leave her alone, you hear. Take me, alright! Kill me! Just don't..." He gave up slumped, weeping. "Just don't hurt her. Please."

Negan smiled widely. "Fucking fuck, man. Do you have any fucking idea how pathetic you look just now? Shit..."

He hummed.

"Alright."

Clementine's eyes widened. What. The. Fuck. Inwardly she smirked. If Lee heard her nowadays... but instead her head was filled with the image of him if he saw what was gonna happen to her. Her face hardened. What was he going to do?

"I won't kill her. No, sir." Negan's smirk widened. "I'll take her back with me."

Clementine set her jaw. Well, she can always break out...

Rick scoffed. "You know we'll just break her out," he snarled.

Negan laughed and leaned down so he was face to face. "Not when I'm done here, with you. Dwight, tie her up and shove her in the fucking trunk."

A guy in a leather vest and face that was once handsome, but now looked as though one side had been dipped in acid heaved her up and tied her hands behind her back. She wanted to fight back, but what would that get her?

When she passed the... creep... he licked her face again. "Girl, I'mma gonna have lots more fun when we get back. Heh, heh."

"Indeed you fucking will not."

Negan was standing next to him, pistol to his head. Before the... creep... could say anything his boss pulled the trigger and turned to the others. "That's a lesson to all y'all. This is the fucking New World Order, and none of his shit is put up with? A'ight? Now, girl, get in the fucking trunk. We don't have all day, now. Come the fuck on."

Obediently Clementine climbed into the back (or at least as well as you can when you have both hands tied behind you back) and laid down as the trunk was slammed over her. She couldn't hear anything or see anything, though that spider crawling up her leg had her shivering.

Guess we're not in Kansas anymore.

* * *

**SORRY FOR THE TIME IT TOOK TO UPDATE BUT MY LAPTOP'S CHARGER IS FUCKED! I HAD PLANS TO FINISH THIS OFF QUICKLY BUT IT RAN OUT JUST BEFORE I HIT 'SAVE'. SO I HAVE TO USE THE SCHOOL'S COMPUTER'S ON THE RARE OCCASION THAT I CAN UNTIL I CAN SAVE ENOUGH TO GET ANOTHER. (I GOT CALLED IN BY THE HEAD AND NOW I'M SLIPPING THIS ON WHILE SHE CHATS WITH A VISITOR.**

**SEE YOU NEXT TIME!**

**SD OUT**


	6. AN: LEAVE ME ALONE!

**Okay, normally I'm quite a casual guy with negative PMs, but what I've been getting in the last few hours just fucking hurts, okay? The reviews are good, it's the PMs!**

**I KNOW that what happened in the last chapter is terrible, but that's the reality of the APOCALYPSE! There are evil people out there who will do this sort of thing, and my portrayal of it is tame compared to what the Governor did to Michonne. So I APOLOGISE for being one of the FEW writers out there with the balls to write it!**

**I've received over a dozen PMs from 'Guests' telling me that I am a 'very sick pervert who deserves to die', that I should 'have your balls ripped off and shoved down your throat', that I should 'go jump in a pit you disgusting freak!' and that 'You should just kill yourself for this shit.'**

**What. The. Fuck.**

**Seriously, I hated writing it, but it's done, and I don't regret it. I am not sick, I'm not going to kill myself, so QUIT IT WITH THE HATEFUL MESSAGES! This kind of shit is what destroys a person, and I'm not putting up with it!**

**The reviews, I can deal with. They're cordial, nice enough and OUT FOR THE WORLD TO SEE. People who PM someone under 'Guest' to troll someone and make them feel like shit are a bunch of COWARDS!**

**So please, please, PLEASE just leave me alone!**


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